Hiring and Letting Go

by: Craig Nathanson

Why hire in the first place?

Any employer hires for the same reason, they have a problem which needs to be fixed. When hiring, the best manager looks at three following factors: if the person has the ability to do the role, if the person has motivation to do the role, and if the person fits well with the existing staff. Too many times, people are hired just on the basis of their resume. Just because someone has the right skills doesn’t mean they will want to do the role which has been designed by someone else. This is why it is critical during the interviewing process to understand whether the candidate is motivated to do the work he or she is applying for. Equally important is to understand if the candidate will fit in well with the existing staff. This includes personality, work style, and skill’s background. The best manager knows that hiring the right person is important not only for getting the new job done, but also for helping the existing team to be more productive.

Who is responsible for employee success?

This might surprise you, but it is not only the employee who is responsible for their success! Organizations are quick to take the credit when the new person does well, and they are equally quick to blame the employee when things don’t work out. The success of the hired person depends on the whole system. For example, a demanding micro-manager will get less performance out of the same person who, instead, might be doing well enough working for a smarter manger. Most people don’t wake up in the morning and decide that today would be a good day to fail at work. Most people arrive at work with hope, anticipation, and feeling that they will do their best, and that they will have a productive day. The best manager knows that the system, which a person works under, determines success. When things go wrong, The best manager will quickly examine the system to understand what failed. For example, let’s say, a bank expects its customer service employees, who work at the desks in the main customer waiting area, to open at least 5 new accounts per day. This bank decides to punish one employee who consistently for a week was opening only 1 account per day. The employee is upset; especially, knowing that there is not much depended on him or her. The best manager examines the system to see what is wrong. Upon investigation, The best manager finds out that many factors may have lead to a poor week. The bank’s credibility may have been impacted by a news article which was describing some ethical issues in the bank’s operations. Or a new bank just opened down the block and was offering free iPods to any new customer, who opened an account. The best manager involves the staff to see what new ideas and plans should be put into a place. There is no blame to pass around.

How to measure new hire assimilation

Most of the time once a person is hired, there is little formal measurement on whether the person is working out other than the probationary review. The best manager knows that the best way to measure is asking a new person on a regular basis how things are going, if a person is happy with the work, if objectives are clear for the person. The best manager wants to know what the new employee needs in order to succeed. The best manager reviews the system and tries to understand whether it is supporting the new employee, and if the new person has good relationships with the peers. The best manager might look at whether the full potential of a new person was used. The best manager will actually ask the new employee if the role is meeting his or her expectations. While these measurements are subjective, the important factor is that they involve both parties in the assessment.

What to do if things don’t work out

Of course there will be times when things don’t work. Many organizations move quickly to fire the employee. This should always be the last resort. Firing a person has many negative effects on the organization. First of all, morale suffers with those employees who remain; many times this same function will be rehired within a year at 2-3 times of the cost. The best manager, instead, tries to understand what went wrong, and if it can be fixed. If not, then a two way conversation takes place and a plan is agreed upon. This plan might involve retraining, it might involve a job rotation, or it might involve a period of time where the employee is given time to interview and pursue other opportunities in the organization. The organization gives these people top priority. Sadly, many organizations, instead, use this redeployment pool as a quick step towards abandonment and termination.

How to let go in a humanistic way

There will be times when people do need to be let go. It is very important how this occurs. Many organizations call outplacement firms to handle this process. An employee comes to work in the morning and meets a stranger… Then, 60 minutes later, someone else is cleaning up the office and bringing employee’s personal items to the parking lot. Many people are treated as criminals while letting them go. The best manager meets personally with the person impacted and answers all questions after discussing the reasons why the person is being dismissed. The best manager explains the next steps which include outplacement assistance for a fairly long period of time over many months to help the person find a new work. The best manager knows this will help the credibility of the organization. When people are terminated in inhumane ways, the existing employees hear about this. Instead of doing their work, they will worry if they are going to be next. As a result, they work in fear and in reactionary mode. When people are let go in humanistic ways, existing employees know at least if things don’t work out, they will have support in finding something else. The best manager knows that this is the right approach for a person and the right moral approach in a society.

Learning summary and next steps

The best manager knows that it’s the system that determines the behavior and performance of its members. What is the process in your organization for hiring, evaluating, and letting go? Does it make sense? What parts need change and why? Only by asking these questions, the organization will have a healthy system where people want to work.

Source

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Hiring and Letting Go

by: Craig Nathanson

Why hire in the first place?

Any employer hires for the same reason, they have a problem which needs to be fixed. When hiring, the best manager looks at three following factors: if the person has the ability to do the role, if the person has motivation to do the role, and if the person fits well with the existing staff. Too many times, people are hired just on the basis of their resume. Just because someone has the right skills doesn’t mean they will want to do the role which has been designed by someone else. This is why it is critical during the interviewing process to understand whether the candidate is motivated to do the work he or she is applying for. Equally important is to understand if the candidate will fit in well with the existing staff. This includes personality, work style, and skill’s background. The best manager knows that hiring the right person is important not only for getting the new job done, but also for helping the existing team to be more productive.

Who is responsible for employee success?

This might surprise you, but it is not only the employee who is responsible for their success! Organizations are quick to take the credit when the new person does well, and they are equally quick to blame the employee when things don’t work out. The success of the hired person depends on the whole system. For example, a demanding micro-manager will get less performance out of the same person who, instead, might be doing well enough working for a smarter manger. Most people don’t wake up in the morning and decide that today would be a good day to fail at work. Most people arrive at work with hope, anticipation, and feeling that they will do their best, and that they will have a productive day. The best manager knows that the system, which a person works under, determines success. When things go wrong, The best manager will quickly examine the system to understand what failed. For example, let’s say, a bank expects its customer service employees, who work at the desks in the main customer waiting area, to open at least 5 new accounts per day. This bank decides to punish one employee who consistently for a week was opening only 1 account per day. The employee is upset; especially, knowing that there is not much depended on him or her. The best manager examines the system to see what is wrong. Upon investigation, The best manager finds out that many factors may have lead to a poor week. The bank’s credibility may have been impacted by a news article which was describing some ethical issues in the bank’s operations. Or a new bank just opened down the block and was offering free iPods to any new customer, who opened an account. The best manager involves the staff to see what new ideas and plans should be put into a place. There is no blame to pass around.

How to measure new hire assimilation

Most of the time once a person is hired, there is little formal measurement on whether the person is working out other than the probationary review. The best manager knows that the best way to measure is asking a new person on a regular basis how things are going, if a person is happy with the work, if objectives are clear for the person. The best manager wants to know what the new employee needs in order to succeed. The best manager reviews the system and tries to understand whether it is supporting the new employee, and if the new person has good relationships with the peers. The best manager might look at whether the full potential of a new person was used. The best manager will actually ask the new employee if the role is meeting his or her expectations. While these measurements are subjective, the important factor is that they involve both parties in the assessment.

What to do if things don’t work out

Of course there will be times when things don’t work. Many organizations move quickly to fire the employee. This should always be the last resort. Firing a person has many negative effects on the organization. First of all, morale suffers with those employees who remain; many times this same function will be rehired within a year at 2-3 times of the cost. The best manager, instead, tries to understand what went wrong, and if it can be fixed. If not, then a two way conversation takes place and a plan is agreed upon. This plan might involve retraining, it might involve a job rotation, or it might involve a period of time where the employee is given time to interview and pursue other opportunities in the organization. The organization gives these people top priority. Sadly, many organizations, instead, use this redeployment pool as a quick step towards abandonment and termination.

How to let go in a humanistic way

There will be times when people do need to be let go. It is very important how this occurs. Many organizations call outplacement firms to handle this process. An employee comes to work in the morning and meets a stranger… Then, 60 minutes later, someone else is cleaning up the office and bringing employee’s personal items to the parking lot. Many people are treated as criminals while letting them go. The best manager meets personally with the person impacted and answers all questions after discussing the reasons why the person is being dismissed. The best manager explains the next steps which include outplacement assistance for a fairly long period of time over many months to help the person find a new work. The best manager knows this will help the credibility of the organization. When people are terminated in inhumane ways, the existing employees hear about this. Instead of doing their work, they will worry if they are going to be next. As a result, they work in fear and in reactionary mode. When people are let go in humanistic ways, existing employees know at least if things don’t work out, they will have support in finding something else. The best manager knows that this is the right approach for a person and the right moral approach in a society.

Learning summary and next steps

The best manager knows that it’s the system that determines the behavior and performance of its members. What is the process in your organization for hiring, evaluating, and letting go? Does it make sense? What parts need change and why? Only by asking these questions, the organization will have a healthy system where people want to work.

Source

Robert Recommends...

• 
  


• How To Build Better Teams


• 
  


• Quality Management


• 
  


• Organizational Communications


• 
  


• 7 Tips to Create Time for Yourself


• 
  


• Master Painful Moments with Gratitude


• 
  


• The Fourth Way


• 
  

Hiring and Letting Go

by: Craig Nathanson

Why hire in the first place?

Any employer hires for the same reason, they have a problem which needs to be fixed. When hiring, the best manager looks at three following factors: if the person has the ability to do the role, if the person has motivation to do the role, and if the person fits well with the existing staff. Too many times, people are hired just on the basis of their resume. Just because someone has the right skills doesn’t mean they will want to do the role which has been designed by someone else. This is why it is critical during the interviewing process to understand whether the candidate is motivated to do the work he or she is applying for. Equally important is to understand if the candidate will fit in well with the existing staff. This includes personality, work style, and skill’s background. The best manager knows that hiring the right person is important not only for getting the new job done, but also for helping the existing team to be more productive.

Who is responsible for employee success?

This might surprise you, but it is not only the employee who is responsible for their success! Organizations are quick to take the credit when the new person does well, and they are equally quick to blame the employee when things don’t work out. The success of the hired person depends on the whole system. For example, a demanding micro-manager will get less performance out of the same person who, instead, might be doing well enough working for a smarter manger. Most people don’t wake up in the morning and decide that today would be a good day to fail at work. Most people arrive at work with hope, anticipation, and feeling that they will do their best, and that they will have a productive day. The best manager knows that the system, which a person works under, determines success. When things go wrong, The best manager will quickly examine the system to understand what failed. For example, let’s say, a bank expects its customer service employees, who work at the desks in the main customer waiting area, to open at least 5 new accounts per day. This bank decides to punish one employee who consistently for a week was opening only 1 account per day. The employee is upset; especially, knowing that there is not much depended on him or her. The best manager examines the system to see what is wrong. Upon investigation, The best manager finds out that many factors may have lead to a poor week. The bank’s credibility may have been impacted by a news article which was describing some ethical issues in the bank’s operations. Or a new bank just opened down the block and was offering free iPods to any new customer, who opened an account. The best manager involves the staff to see what new ideas and plans should be put into a place. There is no blame to pass around.

How to measure new hire assimilation

Most of the time once a person is hired, there is little formal measurement on whether the person is working out other than the probationary review. The best manager knows that the best way to measure is asking a new person on a regular basis how things are going, if a person is happy with the work, if objectives are clear for the person. The best manager wants to know what the new employee needs in order to succeed. The best manager reviews the system and tries to understand whether it is supporting the new employee, and if the new person has good relationships with the peers. The best manager might look at whether the full potential of a new person was used. The best manager will actually ask the new employee if the role is meeting his or her expectations. While these measurements are subjective, the important factor is that they involve both parties in the assessment.

What to do if things don’t work out

Of course there will be times when things don’t work. Many organizations move quickly to fire the employee. This should always be the last resort. Firing a person has many negative effects on the organization. First of all, morale suffers with those employees who remain; many times this same function will be rehired within a year at 2-3 times of the cost. The best manager, instead, tries to understand what went wrong, and if it can be fixed. If not, then a two way conversation takes place and a plan is agreed upon. This plan might involve retraining, it might involve a job rotation, or it might involve a period of time where the employee is given time to interview and pursue other opportunities in the organization. The organization gives these people top priority. Sadly, many organizations, instead, use this redeployment pool as a quick step towards abandonment and termination.

How to let go in a humanistic way

There will be times when people do need to be let go. It is very important how this occurs. Many organizations call outplacement firms to handle this process. An employee comes to work in the morning and meets a stranger… Then, 60 minutes later, someone else is cleaning up the office and bringing employee’s personal items to the parking lot. Many people are treated as criminals while letting them go. The best manager meets personally with the person impacted and answers all questions after discussing the reasons why the person is being dismissed. The best manager explains the next steps which include outplacement assistance for a fairly long period of time over many months to help the person find a new work. The best manager knows this will help the credibility of the organization. When people are terminated in inhumane ways, the existing employees hear about this. Instead of doing their work, they will worry if they are going to be next. As a result, they work in fear and in reactionary mode. When people are let go in humanistic ways, existing employees know at least if things don’t work out, they will have support in finding something else. The best manager knows that this is the right approach for a person and the right moral approach in a society.

Learning summary and next steps

The best manager knows that it’s the system that determines the behavior and performance of its members. What is the process in your organization for hiring, evaluating, and letting go? Does it make sense? What parts need change and why? Only by asking these questions, the organization will have a healthy system where people want to work.

Source

Robert Recommends...

• How To Build Better Teams


• Quality Management


• Organizational Communications


• 7 Tips to Create Time for Yourself


• Master Painful Moments with Gratitude


• The Fourth Way

Hiring and Letting Go

by: Craig Nathanson

Why hire in the first place?

Any employer hires for the same reason, they have a problem which needs to be fixed. When hiring, the best manager looks at three following factors: if the person has the ability to do the role, if the person has motivation to do the role, and if the person fits well with the existing staff. Too many times, people are hired just on the basis of their resume. Just because someone has the right skills doesn’t mean they will want to do the role which has been designed by someone else. This is why it is critical during the interviewing process to understand whether the candidate is motivated to do the work he or she is applying for. Equally important is to understand if the candidate will fit in well with the existing staff. This includes personality, work style, and skill’s background. The best manager knows that hiring the right person is important not only for getting the new job done, but also for helping the existing team to be more productive.

Who is responsible for employee success?

This might surprise you, but it is not only the employee who is responsible for their success! Organizations are quick to take the credit when the new person does well, and they are equally quick to blame the employee when things don’t work out. The success of the hired person depends on the whole system. For example, a demanding micro-manager will get less performance out of the same person who, instead, might be doing well enough working for a smarter manger. Most people don’t wake up in the morning and decide that today would be a good day to fail at work. Most people arrive at work with hope, anticipation, and feeling that they will do their best, and that they will have a productive day. The best manager knows that the system, which a person works under, determines success. When things go wrong, The best manager will quickly examine the system to understand what failed. For example, let’s say, a bank expects its customer service employees, who work at the desks in the main customer waiting area, to open at least 5 new accounts per day. This bank decides to punish one employee who consistently for a week was opening only 1 account per day. The employee is upset; especially, knowing that there is not much depended on him or her. The best manager examines the system to see what is wrong. Upon investigation, The best manager finds out that many factors may have lead to a poor week. The bank’s credibility may have been impacted by a news article which was describing some ethical issues in the bank’s operations. Or a new bank just opened down the block and was offering free iPods to any new customer, who opened an account. The best manager involves the staff to see what new ideas and plans should be put into a place. There is no blame to pass around.

How to measure new hire assimilation

Most of the time once a person is hired, there is little formal measurement on whether the person is working out other than the probationary review. The best manager knows that the best way to measure is asking a new person on a regular basis how things are going, if a person is happy with the work, if objectives are clear for the person. The best manager wants to know what the new employee needs in order to succeed. The best manager reviews the system and tries to understand whether it is supporting the new employee, and if the new person has good relationships with the peers. The best manager might look at whether the full potential of a new person was used. The best manager will actually ask the new employee if the role is meeting his or her expectations. While these measurements are subjective, the important factor is that they involve both parties in the assessment.

What to do if things don’t work out

Of course there will be times when things don’t work. Many organizations move quickly to fire the employee. This should always be the last resort. Firing a person has many negative effects on the organization. First of all, morale suffers with those employees who remain; many times this same function will be rehired within a year at 2-3 times of the cost. The best manager, instead, tries to understand what went wrong, and if it can be fixed. If not, then a two way conversation takes place and a plan is agreed upon. This plan might involve retraining, it might involve a job rotation, or it might involve a period of time where the employee is given time to interview and pursue other opportunities in the organization. The organization gives these people top priority. Sadly, many organizations, instead, use this redeployment pool as a quick step towards abandonment and termination.

How to let go in a humanistic way

There will be times when people do need to be let go. It is very important how this occurs. Many organizations call outplacement firms to handle this process. An employee comes to work in the morning and meets a stranger… Then, 60 minutes later, someone else is cleaning up the office and bringing employee’s personal items to the parking lot. Many people are treated as criminals while letting them go. The best manager meets personally with the person impacted and answers all questions after discussing the reasons why the person is being dismissed. The best manager explains the next steps which include outplacement assistance for a fairly long period of time over many months to help the person find a new work. The best manager knows this will help the credibility of the organization. When people are terminated in inhumane ways, the existing employees hear about this. Instead of doing their work, they will worry if they are going to be next. As a result, they work in fear and in reactionary mode. When people are let go in humanistic ways, existing employees know at least if things don’t work out, they will have support in finding something else. The best manager knows that this is the right approach for a person and the right moral approach in a society.

Learning summary and next steps

The best manager knows that it’s the system that determines the behavior and performance of its members. What is the process in your organization for hiring, evaluating, and letting go? Does it make sense? What parts need change and why? Only by asking these questions, the organization will have a healthy system where people want to work.

Source

Robert Recommends...

• How To Build Better Teams


• Quality Management


• Organizational Communications


• 7 Tips to Create Time for Yourself


• Master Painful Moments with Gratitude


• The Fourth Way

The post Hiring and Letting Go appeared first on Robert JR Graham.

How To Build Better Teams

Building Better Teams

by: Craig Nathanson

Why many teams don’t work well together

Have you ever wondered why the team that you were on didn’t work very well together?

Many teams originally were set up to fail. In sports, you build teams from individuals with best achievements. In business, we hear many times, the sports analogy applied but in most cases it couldn’t be farther from reality. In business, teams are seldom picked and mixed together based on the best individuals and their skills. Typically, people wind up on a team based on a range of factors. They were on this team before and it was part of their job description. They were told they had to be on this team. They were added to the team as a reward or worse as punishment! Usually, the leaders of these teams are only symbolic. They are called team leaders in many cases. They are responsible for the team but without real authority. They also are expected to perform their other full time jobs. These types of teams fail.

Build the right team

It is important to build the right team from the start. Take an inventory of the people in your organization. Compile a database based on interviews and surveys. Ask people, which types of roles they feel challenging but also they have the skills for? Which roles best align their abilities and their interests?

Find out who wants to lead and who wants to be leaded?

Ask people, which roles fit the image of the work they most want to do. Part of this inventory process is to understand from each person in the organization what they want to do more of, less of, and how management can assist. As a result of this process, you have a database which contains real input from people. Then when the time comes to put together teams, you are able to review the database and select people who best fit. This is what the best manager does.

Encourage and support

Once the best manager sets up a team, people spend time helping to set vision and clarify goals. Then, the team is free to self-manage and make progress without micro-management. Teams are comprised of people, and they need support and encouragement but not threats, punishment, and rewards. People just want to feel like they are making a contribution. Successful teams go on to complete many winning projects if the upfront structure and ground rules are established.

Promote collaboration, not competition

The Best Manager treats all team members the same way and rewards them equally. The team knows its goals and desired state. The work itself becomes a reward. If the reward must be given it should be equal to all members as a result of the team progress towards common goals. Making individuals on a team compete with one another is the way to increase conflicts. When, instead, people feel that everyone has the same goals and incentives, collaboration is more effective, productivity is higher, and accomplished results are much better.

Set a clear desired state

This is the most important first step for a team. The best manager spends several hours with the entire team communicating the desired state and taking time to ensure all members clearly understand the vision and the path. Without a clear vision, team members will start distracting one another decreasing productivity, and the desired result will not be achieved.

Have better team meetings

Team meetings should be held in two different formats. There should be a regular operational meeting (process meeting) where people give updates and the leader also communicates status and next steps. This type of meetings should be rigorous and structured. Teams also need a second type of meeting. These are mission meetings where the group is either to solve a problem or to create a solution. These meetings should be of a brainstorming type and run in a creative, collaborative way. Teams can break down when there is confusion about expected outcomes.

Rotate leadership

Rotating team leaders on a regular basis is healthy for the team. It also helps everyone to feel vested in the outcome. Plus, when you lead one day and follow another day, you gain new experience and gain new perspectives. Letting people take on leadership roles for the first time will help to build confidence and also be a valuable development activity at the same time. A well structured team will not let new leaders fail knowing that one day they will be asked to lead.

Learning summary and next steps

The best manager designs teams around people. It is an art of combining of what they want to do and where their abilities and interests fit best. As a result, teams will be more successful and reach their desired states more quickly. As a first step, take an inventory of your team. Then, put together the next team based on the experience and not on what you have always done before. You will see new results!

Source

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The post How To Build Better Teams appeared first on Robert JR Graham.

Organizational Communications

Communicating: The Essence of Organizational Success

by: Craig Nathanson

Failure to communicate

Failure in communication is the biggest problem of management. When this occurs, it affects everything. Overall performance of people decreases, goals are not clear, people build incorrect assumptions, and relationships at work suffer. Especially during challenging times, it’s critical to be more effective when communicating. Employees want to know what is going on during times of change. This is when the breakdown usually occurs. Many managers fail to understand how important to communicate with integrity, openness, and on regular basis.

What is communication anyway?

Communication is the exchange of messages between people. And, to make the communication effective is the most critical skill for managers. Good communication leads to personal power, motivation, resolving conflict, solid delegation, and smooth facilitation and collaboration among people. Sadly, when there is abrasive, insensitive, and poor communication, it leads to a breakdown in relationships. The organization becomes full of distrust and uncaring interpersonal relationships. This occurs in organizations where employees get new information about changes without knowing all the reasons why.

The traditional model of business communication has flaws

The traditional mode of business communication has always focused on accuracy and efficiency. It is sort of like a conduit model containing of three parts: a transmitter, receiver, and noise. It has been my observation that most interpersonal problems at work occurs due to problems in communication. Communication after all is a complex process. For example, let’s take Terry and her boss Ron. Terry calls Ron and tells him, “I won’t be able to work again tomorrow. This pregnancy keeps me nauseous and my doctor said that I should probably be reduced to part-time.” Ron tells her, “Terry, this is the third time you have missed work and your appointments keep backing up all of us. We have to cover for you and this is messing up all of us.”

This was an example of poor communication from both sides. In a good communication must be a clear message encoded for a delivery.

Terri wanted to have more empathy from her boss Ron. But she encoded this message to make it more official to add an excuse for missing work. Ron is not really happy with Terry anyway and decoded this message as just another excuse from Terri. He was not clear either about his further plans about her.

You can see that the margin for error is quite high at each step of the communication process. Some social psychologists estimate that there is a usual loss of 40-60% of the meaning in a message from sender to receiver!

Barriers to effective communication

There are many barriers for effective communication at work. The way we use the language because of our cultural and educational differences can lead to misunderstanding. Our perception of one another depends on many factors, what generation you belong, what gender, where you grew up, what your beliefs are, and so on. Often, we don’t know how to read body language, how to listen, how to react in a conflict situation in a professional way. Overall, lack of knowledge affects our communication at work.

It can be helpful to understand non-verbal cues.

Some research suggests that we communicate non-verbally 70% of the time! It can be helpful to learn to read visual cues, how different people use their hands when speaking, and their tone of voice. Learn to make an eye contact depending on another person’s culture. In North America eye contact preferably should be soft. For middle Eastern, the “eyes are the windows of the soul”. In Japan there is very little eye contact made. In North America our physical space is a big deal. For example, 2-4 feet is reserved for close friends and family, 4-12 feet is the best space for social communications, and 12 feet when giving presentations.

It all starts with good listening skills

The best manager is a great listener. The best m anager listens openly and with empathy. The best manager judges content but not a person. The good listener uses many methods to listen and fights off distractions when listening. The best manager knows the art of asking good questions to gather data. The best manager responds with interest when communicating.

How to give a feedback

Many managers are reluctant to provide feedback but quick to evaluate. Many managers are afraid how their feedback might be received. They may have personal biases which affect their feedback. In giving feedback, the best manager should be descriptive to make sure the receiver gets a description and not an evaluation. Strong managers focus on the behavior and not on the person. It is better to say, “I don’t like the way the project which you were on turned out.” rather than to say, “I don’t like your project”. Even worse to say, “I don’t like you!”

While we usually don’t tell others at work that we don’t like them it tends to come out in other ways.

High Richness vs. Low Richness communications

While email has made our communication more productive, it has also made it worse in many ways. How much time is wasted while a person on another end is either hiding behind an e-mail or did not even receive your email because it ended up in the spam folder. At least, when you have a possibility to contact someone eye to eye, it is fairly clear how your message is received. When in doubt, communicate in person. In buildings where offices and cubicles are next to each other, strong managers encourage people to get up and walk around to communicate. It has been my observation that the healthiest organizations are loud and active. You will see people standing on their chairs shouting over cubicle walls. The organizations in trouble are the ones when you can hear a pin drop when you walk in the halls. All that is heard is the sound of typing, people sending messages back and forth between their next door cubicles. Management problems are many times is a failure to communicate. And as we have learned communication is more than just sending the message!

Source

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